Khai Jiao

Before You Start

Deep oil at 190°C / 375°F. Shallow oil gives a flat omelette.

Pour from a height so it spreads and puffs.

Ninety seconds untouched.

Making Khai Jiao

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1. Beat the eggs hard with the fish sauce, lime juice, rice flour and white pepper for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 1 min timer

2. Keep beating, lifting the fork high so the mixture falls back in a ribbon and takes in air.

   Mark done

3. Heat the oil in a small deep pan or wok to 190°C / 375°F — a drop of egg should sizzle and rise immediately.

   Mark done

4. Pour the egg in from about 20 cm above the pan, in one movement.

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5. It will puff up at once. Leave it 90 seconds without touching it.

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6. Spoon hot oil over the top so the upper surface sets.

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7. Turn it once with two spatulas and cook 45 seconds more.

   Mark done

8. Lift onto a rack to drain for 30 seconds.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

9. Slide onto hot rice, scatter the spring onion over and serve with chilli sauce.

   Mark done

Related guide: Choosing rice.

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What's Going On Here

This is not a French omelette and the oil must be deep and genuinely hot — about 190°C / 375°F, enough that the egg puffs violently the moment it lands. That is what gives the crisp lacy edges and the soufflé middle. A spoonful of rice flour in the beaten egg makes the crust hold, and beating it hard from a height introduces air the puffing depends on.

After You've Cooked It

None. It is crisp for about four minutes.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onion? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chilli. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

What to Serve Alongside

• Jasmine rice
• Sriracha
• Nam pla prik

Khai Jiao Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.

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